Out of the Blue
by Papina
Summary: Unexpected things happen to us everyday. They never thought it would end this way when trouble brings their hearts together. R&R[ Deidara x Tenten]
1. Here Comes The Rain Again

**A/N: **Hi. I'm not used to writing romance since I usually write humor so bear with me. The reason why I made this fic is because I love this couple so much. So... there you have it. Pls. Review so I can see how I'm doing.

**Like I said: **I don't own Naruto.

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Chapter 1- Here Comes The Rain Again

Rain poured down hard that day. There was barely any sunlight & everything was damp. There was not a single bird in the sky. Everyone who used to be walking outside had already cleared the streets. Everyone except for two.

' _What a lousy day._', Tenten thought miserably as she was being dragged by Lee to join the mission he was assigned to. It was supposed to be Neji but he had to cancel at the last minute. Tenten recalled on how her day went. She sighed as she remembered all the misfortunes. Her clothes were soaking wet from the rain. She had the urge to pull away her arm from Lee's grasp but she could not refuse a mission.

" Tenten, are you alright?", Lee stopped dragging her & asked.

" I just had a bad day. Nothing much.", Tenten replied dryly & managed to pull away her arm. " So what is the mission about?"

" Bad day? Bad day? Tenten, the day is just starting & you're having a bad day already? We are on a mission to deliver a secret document to the snow country. Tsunade specified that it is gravely important that we get it safely there. If it falls into the wrong hands, who knows what will happen. We can't have you walking around on a mission like a lifeless puppet. You need to cheer up.", Lee widened his smile.

Tenten groaned & continued walking. She didn't mind walking in the rain & getting her clothes wet since she was too sad to care about what is happening around her.

A few hours later in the forest, both of them stopped & looked at the path ahead of them. Everything was silent except for the sound of birds, rustling of leaves & rain pouring.

" Why are we stopping?", Tenten asked when Lee suddenly stopped in his path.

" Something isn't right around here.", Lee said quietly as his face turned serious. " I'm getting a strange feeling that we aren't the only ones here."

" Are you suggesting that someone else is here aside from us?"

Lee nodded & went on ahead. In an instant shurikens were flying from his left & he was caught unaware. He lost his balance & fell from the tree branch.

" Lee! ", Tenten shouted & hurried to him but was blocked by a tall masked ninja. Two other ninjas appeared behind him & carried Lee like a sack of potatoes & took him with them. Tenten then stabbed the ninja blocking her with a kunai & went after the other two who held Lee captive. One of them began throwing more shurikens. Tenten's speed slowed down since she had to dodge them but she could barely dodge some since she was also trying to get a good aim at them. She managed to hit them at the right angle with senbons.

" I placed poison on the shurikens. It will take effect soon.", one of them said quietly to the other.

" What kind of poison?"

" It doesn't kill but it will paralize you for a few days."

' _Could this day get any worse?_', she thought. The other formed a hand seal & a barrier of tree branches started to block Tenten's way. She tried to rip through it using the kunai she took out but it was too hard to cut.

' _Maybe if I climb over it?'_, she thought & climbed to the top. She spotted the two ninjas ahead. She prepared to leap but was hit by a moving branch. It turned out that the barrier doesn't only block but also attacks if the enemy is nearby. She fell to the ground. Her body was undoubtedly sore.

She decided to perform a jitsu but the poison took effect & paralized her for a moment. She finally gave up trying to catch up to them. Her arms & legs were wounded but she still had the strength to go on. She forced herself up.

Tenten rested on the nearest tree & pulled out her bag to see what she was able to bring. She was suprised to find the secret document in her bag. ' _Lee must have placed it there without my knowledge. What should I do? Should I look for Lee, head home & report to Tsunade about Lee's capture or deliver the document myself? It would be dangerous to go look for Lee or deliver the scroll alone. I'd better head home._', she thought & removed the shirukens from her body.

She stood up with her legs involuntarily shaking & prepared to head home. She realized she was thirsty. ' _I'm having the worst luck today. I didn't even bring my water bottle_.' She looked down & was suprised to find a clay bird. ' _Wait a second,... this looks familiar_.'

_Boom!_ The clay bird exploded & Tenten was sent flying through the air. She landed on the ground & her body was aching everywhere. A tall figure rose from the smoke. He wore a cloak with little red clouds on it & had a bunch of blond hair hanging over his left eye.

He smirked when Tenten finally got a good look at him. " Long time no see, yeah."

" Deidara. What are you doing here in this region?", Tenten asked & tried to move her body but the poison took effect once again. ' _Damn it._', Tenten thought & recalled what happened.

" Well, YOU have something I want, yeah.", Deidara said & walked near Tenten observing her. " It seems you are glued to the ground, yeah."

' _Move...move...what the hell is wrong with me?_', she thought desperately.

Tenten struggled to move her hand but she could only move it by not more than a few centimeters from its original spot. There was nothing she could do. She was indeed stuck to the ground.

" Hand over the document, yeah.", Deidara demanded & held out his hand.

" I can't move."

" Very well, where is it? I'll get it myself, yeah."

" I don't have it.", Tenten lied. " My other companion has it. He was being held captive by masked ninjas."

" Hn.", Deidara's face turned serious. " My partner, Tobi, who was too careless so he also ended up being captured by masked ninjas before I stumbled upon you. We'll make a deal, yeah. You'll have to come along with me to get Tobi & your so-called companion, yeah."

" And if I refuse?"

Deidara smirked & replied, " You have no other choice, yeah. If you refuse, I'll kill you or better yet, leave you here, yeah. You do realize that you will have no other help if I leave you, yeah. You'll likely die."

" Oh alright. I'll go with you.", Tenten said numbly. " Under three conditions. One, find me a cure for my paralysis. Two, you will not kill me nor Lee. And three, leave us alone when you get Tobi back!"

Deidara let out a big sigh & said," Fine, yeah. But just so you know, it is you who is stuck here not I & I won't leave you alone until I get that document." He bent down & widened his smirk. " So you better be prepared, yeah."

Deidara frowned & asked," Are you serious you can't move? I don't like the idea of having to carry you going there, yeah."

" That's why we need to find the cure first.", Tenten said almost sounding sarcastic.

" Hmm. I think I have just the thing, yeah.", he searched his pouch & pulled out a tiny bottle of liquid. " Here we go. I think this will work, yeah." He bent down. His left hand supported Tenten's head while the other tilted the tiny bottle to pour the liquid in her mouth.

She gulped the liquid in & coughed hard. She was able to force herself up in an instant.

" Now that you can move, tell me about those ninjas, yeah.", Deidara said calmly.

" They were masked so I couldn't see their faces. They also hid their head protectors."

" That's all you saw, yeah?", he looked uncontented with her answer & frowned. She merely nodded. " Hmm. I thought you would be helpful to me by describing the ninjas who took your friend. Even as much as I want to leave you here, I can't do that. I need you to find your friend & retrieve that document, yeah."

Tenten glanced at him annoyingly. She too wants him to leave her here but it would be impossible to find Lee all by herself especially since she knows nothing about those ninjas who took him. Also, she would never abandon a friend who needs her help nor choose to fail a mission.

Deidara started walking off to a certain direction expecting her to follow him. She hurried to catch up with him. While walking, she formulated a plan in her mind. She decided that once she finds Lee, they would escape from the Akatsuki member & go on with their mission. There. As simple as that. But even how simple her plan was, it was going to end up complicated & probably impossible to think up a good one which will not lead to more trouble after something she never expected will happen...


	2. Doubt and Annoyance

Chapter 2- Doubt and Annoyance 

" Do you like birds, yeah?", Deidara suddenly spoke after a few minutes of silence.

" That depends if it explodes.", Tenten replied sounding bitter as she frowned when she glanced at him.

He, on the other hand, looked at her. " Are you mad at me or something, yeah?", he asked & cocked his head.

" Let's see, today I got wet from the rain, Lee made me go to this stupid mission, we got attacked, I got wounded, they caught Lee, I'm left to rescue him, some exploding bird appears out of nowhere, I became paralized, YOU came along, I'm being forced to go with you to look for the scroll, I don't even know where we're going & NOW you're asking me if I'm mad at you. Why wouldn't I be mad?", Tenten shouted numbly.

" I guess it can't be helped, yeah.", he said & went on walking.

" & NOW you're walking off like nothing happened?", she shouted some more letting her temper get the best of her. At that moment, she wanted to jab him with a giant fork or something with a sharp end.

" What do you want me to do exactly, yeah?", his voice was now starting to sound sarcastic & annoyed.

She folded her arms & said," First tell me where we're headed to."

" Some nearby town. I'm meeting someone there, yeah."

" I thought we were going after those ninjas?"

" Not yet, yeah."

Tenten frowned. " Great. Another misfortune."

" Ok, then. What can I do to brighten your day, yeah?"

" I dunno. Anything, I guess."

Deidara stopped walking & rummaged though his bag making Tenten wonder what he was going to pull out. He pulled out a tiny clay bird. " You like birds, yeah?", he asked holding the bird closer to her making her smile but only a bit.

" This doesn't explode, does it?", she asked as he transferred the bird to her hand.

" I can make it explode right now if you need proof, yeah."

Tenten rolled her eyes. Deidara ignored her & continued walking then she later caught up with him. " Sorry. I just had a bad day today & yeah... birds are nice. Thank you."

He smirked when he stopped to look at her & said, " I'm glad you finally admit that you have a bad temper, yeah. You should go fix it or something while I gather some fruits." He began picking some fruits from a tree nearby.

Tenten stopped in her tracks & started to get mad all over again. " I did NOT admit anything! Why is it when I start to calm myself down you say something that will make me mad?", she shouted.

" What did I do?", he said annoyingly as he placed the fruits he collected in his bag. " There must be something very wrong with you. I can tell, yeah."

" There! You're doing it again!", she shouted furiously & pointed a finger at him.

" Then I'd better keep my mouth shut so you won't go insane, yeah.", he said while frowning & continued walking.

Tenten picked up a fruit that was on the ground & threw it at him aiming for his head. Suprisingly, he caught it when it was just inches away from his head. He turned his head & smirked. " You throw like a girl, yeah."

" I AM a girl.", she said & gave him a death glare.

" You know what I mean, yeah.", he said & folded his arms. From a smirk, he frowned in an instant & his eyes widened. It looked as if his eyes were filled with fear. " Someone is here, yeah."

Tenten gave a confused look. " What do you mean? Are you trying to scare me?"

' _If he is, then I'd have to admit he is a good actor_.', she thought.

" I'm not kidding. We have to hurry, yeah.", he continued walking. This time it was fast.

' _I cannot go on like this._', Tenten thought for a moment then later caught up with Deidara. As the day went, they spoke not a single word to each other. At least it wasn't noisy & it's better than fighting. Tenten also tried to forget about what he said about someone following them. It started to get dark & they still haven't spoken until they decided to rest.

" We should rest here, yeah.", Deidara said in his usual tone & started to build a bonfire while Tenten sat down under a tree watching him build it. It seemed lazy for her just to sit there & watch him build it without even bothering to offer help. She just sat there & watched him. She couldn't believe herself but she was actually enjoying watching him. She continued to look & a smile started to form on her mouth.

" Why are you smiling, yeah?", he suddenly asked & realized he was staring directly at her with a raised brow.

" Nothing.", she said softly as her face turned red. She looked away to stare at something else. He walked towards her when he finished lighting a fire & sat beside her searching for something in his bag. He pulled out chopsticks & a container with food inside. He opened the container & handed it to her along with the chopsticks.

" Here. I didn't expect to run into you so I was only able to pack food enough for one person, yeah."

" What about you?"

" I'll be ok, yeah.", he said & stopped looking at her. Tenten glanced at the food then back at Deidara. She started to eat & decided that she would leave some for him. After she was done eating her half, she handed the food back to him.

" Arigato.", he said & started eating while Tenten looked at the bonfire which was almost out. She stared blankly into the flames. What else was there to do? She felt like she was being hypnotized by it. She later shifted her gaze at the moon which was full that day providing enough moonlight. She felt like a cat. Just watching, observing & maybe even curious. Even the stars were clear that night. Her eyes started to get droopy just by watching.

" There are a lot of stars today, yeah.", Deidara suddenly said making Tenten come back down from her cloud of thoughts & look at him. She noticed that he was smiling at her. He never smiled at her before. It was usually a smirk or a frown. Never a smile.

His smile turned into a smirk & he raised his brow. " Why do you keep looking at me like that, yeah? I'm curious."

Tenten's face turned red once more. " Nothing", she said softly.

" Awww... come on, yeah. I wanna know.", he said then pouted. " Pweese?".

Tenten felt like smacking him for being annoying. She sighed. " It's just that you never smiled at me before. You usually smirk."

" Why? You WANT me to smile, yeah?", he said widening his smirk.

She was so close to smacking him but decided to shoot back his question instead of smacking him. " How about you? You want ME to smile?"

" I asked you first, yeah."

Tenten now had the urge to smack him twice. " Well, it's nice to see you smile.", she said trying to not sound like she wants to hit him. Deidara smirked again after hearing her answer. He already understood that she uses the word 'nice' to mean 'like', at least that's what he thinks it means.

" Now YOU answer my question."

" Well, it's nice to see YOU smile, yeah.", he mimicked.

Tenten glared at him. " Are you trying to make me smack you?"

" Maybe but I'm quite enjoying my time annoying you, yeah.", he stuck his tongue out playfully.

Tenten frowned. He smiled as he looked at her yawn & fall sleep on the ground beside him. He later yawned & rested his head on the tree behind him. It wasn't as comfortable as sleeping on a nice soft bed but it would do.

Morning finally came. After a few moments of preparations, they were ready to continue walking once more in the serene forest. You'd think it would be nice to be walking in a quiet & peaceful forest, right? Not for Tenten. How would you feel if you had to go with an annoying person who makes you angry then feel awkward later on?

The direction they were headed to was not the best place to go especially at that time. That certain direction would lead them to more trouble... specifically the ANBU, Neji & the misunderstandings.


	3. Running Into Trouble

Chapter 3- **Running into Trouble**

In the forest just outside of Konoha, stood a certain ANBU. A calm, cool & collected genius. Hailed as the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan. He just stood there with his mask on one hand feeling proud that he finally became an ANBU after all that hard work & training he underwent. He was waiting for the others to arrive so they can proceed to their mission.

Neji pondered on his childhood memories which were spent with his team. He missed those days. Now that he no longer felt like a caged bird, he smiled more often than he used to. Even though he was the only one in the team who became an ANBU, he still felt that they were nevertheless a team.

He looked back to find the other ANBUs behind him. He wondered curiously how they managed to arrive without him noticing. ' _I must have been daydreaming too much._', he concluded & caught up with them who were already going ahead of him.

In a short distance from there, Deidara was walking ahead making his way through the gnarled roots of an enormous tree. Tenten on the other hand, was walking slow a few meters behind. All she could enjoy from walking through the forest was the twittering of the birds, lazy humming of bees & the sharp clatter of a locust.

" Are you sure we're headed to a town nearby?", Tenten asked. She started doubting.

" Are you saying you don't trust me, yeah?", Deidara looked back & asked.

" Why should I trust an S-ranked criminal?"

" Because your life depends on it, yeah."

Tenten considered it as a threat. Deidara's face suddenly turned serious. He became idle for one rare moment. Slowly, she examined his face which was filled with caution. She could tell that there was something wrong. She followed his eyes which were shifting from left to right. Everything seemed to be standing still in silence.

" Stay here. I need to check something out, yeah.", he said & left before she could protest.

' _What the hell is going on?_', she thought & tried to see where he had gone to. She lost track of him. The next thing she heard was the queer rasping call of a bird flying above her. She became completely aware of her surroundings & took a step backwards.

" Tenten? What are you doing back here? Where's Lee?", Tenten looked back to find Neji's pearly eyes looking at her questioningly. She let out a sigh of relief.

" Neji! I'm so glad to see you. Something went wrong in the mission. Lee is ----", something exploded in the space between them preventing her from finishing her sentence & throwing both of them in opposite directions away from each other.

' _Rats. He's back this fast?_', Tenten thought as she got herself up. She looked past the thick smoke. There was no sign of Neji. She ran towards that direction & ended up interfering the fight between the ANBUs & the Akatsuki member on a giant clay bird soaring in the cloudless sky.

" Tenten! Get away from here! Head back to Konoha!", Neji shouted as soon as he saw her.

' _Wait. If I go back, I have no information about those ninjas & if I stay with Deidara, they'll think I'm a traitor or something. Also, I would fail this mission if I head back. Wait, it would be best to... no._ ', Tenten thought & didn't move. She couldn't make up her mind on where to go. She rapidly shifted her view from Neji to Deidara then back again.

The rest of the ANBU began attacking Deidara as he dodged their attacks. Neji was flitting towards Tenten then shouted, " Tenten! What the hell is wrong with you? Go now!"

The moment she saw Neji coming towards her, she decided that it would be best to head back. Neji reached out his hand as he neared her. She too reached out her hand to grab his. They were just inches away until Tenten felt an arm wrapping around her waist from the back & pulling her.

Deidara had swooped down & pulled her on the clay bird. " What the hell are you doing?!", Tenten demanded & tried to pull his arm away from her. " Get your freakin hands off me!"

Neji watched the clay bird in flight disappear slowly into the distance. As the soft wind blew his raven hair, he made a firm decision. He was now determined to save his friend & he would get help as soon as possible. He whispered her name, " _Tenten.._."

" Let me go!"

" Will you stop moving too much, yeah?", Deidara said in an annoyed tone.

" Not unless you let me go!", Tenten almost shouted as she tried to break free from his grab.

" You have a risk of falling if you do that, yeah."

" You mean escaping."

" I thought you wanted to rescue your friend, yeah?"

" I did but there are other ways of saving him besides having to go & be pushed around by an annoying person like you."

" Have you forgotten our deal, yeah?", Tenten sopke nothing in reply & looked straight into his smirk. " Or do I have to start another deal?"

The clay bird finally landed on a strip of land in a very far distance away from where they encountered the ANBUs. As soon as the bird's feet made contact with the ground, he released her & she ran towards the direction she knew lead to Konoha. " Go ahead & run. I'll make sure to annihilate your friend as soon as I find him, yeah.", he threatened.

" Is that a threat? Do you even know how he looks like?", Tenten stopped running & looked back.

Deidara smirked & replied, " You're actually asking that, yeah? I know how he looks like. Fuzzy eyebrows, green spandex & bowl cut hair." He paused to look at her surprised face. " Hmm...Did I surprise you, yeah?"

" I hate you.", Tenten muttered.

" Alright. Now hurry up so we won't have any more delays, yeah."

" Is that a river?", Tenten squinted her eyes to see a cool fresh rushing river ahead. Just one glance of it made her want a refreshing bath. ' _I should get some water for the rest of the trip._'

" I guess we can stay here for the night, yeah.", Deidara paused to look at the sky. " The sun is already setting."

" How far is the town we're headed to?", Tenten asked as she was rummaging her bag looking for her towel.

" We're almost there, yeah.", he said sitting then leaning back against the tree watching her pull a towel out & walk towards a far part of the river. " Where are you going, yeah?"

" I'm going to take a bath.", she went on walking without bothering to stop.

" How will I know that you're not planning an escape, yeah."

" You need proof? Here. Take my bag. Everything I need to survive is in there & I can't leave without it.", she picked up her bag & handed it to him in a rough manner.

" Hmm... Alright. I'll trust you just this once, yeah."

Tenten stopped walking at a point where she thought was far enough from Deidara & which was filled with cherry trees. She checked her surroundings for anything suspicious before undressing & letting her hair down. She folded & piled her clothes neatly beside a tree next to her towel. She slowy went in the water which was lukewarm.

' _This isn't so bad. This place is quite peacef_ul.', Tenten noticed a temple which was located far ahead. ' _Hmm... I didn't know there was a temple around this place. In fact, I don't even know where I am right now. Sigh. I wish I could relax more a bit but I don't think I have enough time for that._' She started playing with the leaves from the cherry trees which landed on the water.

She suddenly felt someone's presence. Looking back, she was suprised to find Deidara staring at her with wide eyes. Her face became tinted with red. " What the hell are you doing here, you pervert!", she shouted angrily.

" I came here to see if you didn't run away & to ask you if I could borrow your first aid kit, yeah.", Deidara's face also turned red & quickly turned around folding his arms. " I didn't expect to see you...ugh...this way, yeah."

" You knew I was going to take a bath. You heard me say it.", Tenten reached for her towel & hurriedly got out of the water to wrap herself. " Are you planning to leave yet?"

" I guess it can't be helped, yeah.", he said before leaving.

' _Ugh. That pervert! What the hell does he think he's doing? When I get back to him I'm gonna..._', Tenten thought angrily as she placed on her clothes. ' _Suddenly, the peaceful ambience has been broken_.'

Tenten stormed her way in front of Deidara who gave her a confused look as he was sitting down leaning back against a tree. " I'm not done with you yet!"

" Tch. Do you need to be so loud? You'll break the solemity, yeah.", he folded his arms.

" Stop acting like nothing happened!", she shouted bending her knees.

Deidara frowned. " You're so demanding. What do you expect me to do, yeah?"

" How about an apology?"

" Fine. Sorry for what happened, yeah.", he said blankly. Reaching out his hand, he stroked her hair removing a pink leaf which probably came from one of the cherry trees. " It's hard to recognize you with your hair down. You look prettier, yeah." He gave a smile.

' _What the fuck? Is he really flirting or is he trying to change the subject?_', Tenten thought. " Stop changing the subject!"

" Then what do you expect me to talk about, yeah?"

" First off, what do you know about the temple over there?", Tenten pointed to the direction of the temple.

" Hmm. Now that you mentioned it, I never expected a temple to be located tere, yeah.", he paused & squinted his eyes. " What's more is that isn't supposed to be there. Why would someone build a temple in the middle of the forest full of dangerous things like poison Ivy, snakes & other insects. It's not even on the map, yeah."

" Are you saying we should go & check it out?"

" Probably, yeah. It looks suspicious."


	4. Uncertainity

Thanks for the reviews. I appreciate it.

* * *

**Chapter 4** **- Uncertainity**

" Welcome to our humble home. Come in & have dinner with us.", an old monk answered the door. He had a faded smile on his wrinkly face & seemed a bit tired.

" Arigato.", Tenten said as she & Deidara were being led into the temple. Inside the temple looked ordinary just like how you would expect it to be except maybe the light was dimmer & the place seemed dark due to the trees surrounding the area. In front of them was a table already set for two people. It seemed as though they were expecting them.

" Please sit down."

" Where is your destination?", a monk who served them some sweet smelling jasmine tea asked putting the tray down on the table where they were seated. Its warm scent of herbs made Tenten remember those times when she served tea to Neji & Lee.

Tenten expected Deidara to answer that question. " Just in a nearby town." The old monk nodded to his answer.

Tenten picked up the steaming cup of tea in front of her & took a sip eyeing Deidara who was suspiciously looking at a corner of the room. She observed the corner which was dissolving & returning back to normal alternately.

" What is a temple doing here in a forest, yeah?", he asked. " Doesn't it seem unlikely?"

" Well, we decided to stay far away from the city. It seems more peaceful out here", he glanced for one rare moment at Tenten & sipped his cup of tea. " Hmm... Who is this girl you are with?"

" Oh. I guess we didn't give a proper introduction. I'm Tenten & this is Deidara...", she looked at Deidara's eyes which were cautiously telling her to stay silent.

After a short period of silence which was spent eating the meal, Deidara stood up. " Thank you for dinner but we have to get going now, yeah."

Tenten ran after Deidara, " Why were you so cautious?"

" If you were observant enough, you would have noticed the atmosphere dissolving in one corner, yeah.", he replied in an annoyed tone. " You'll find out the details soon enough, yeah."

" So you're suspecting them? They don't seem suspicious to me.", she looked back at the temple which casted its shadow on them making it hard to see where they are going.

" To you, yeah.", he sat & rested under the same tree he stayed under before they went to the temple. " You'd better rest early. Tomorrow might be a long day, yeah."

* * *

" Omigosh.", Tenten looked at the strip of land where the temple used to be. There was nothing there but merely trees surrounding the vast area. Everything vanished leaving no trace nor evidence that there used to be a temple there.

" Deidara!", she shook him slightly to wake him up. " The temple! It vanished! It really was there yesterday, right? I mean... we did go there for dinner, right? Or was it just a dream or my imagination or there is something wrong with my head. How can a whole temple disappear like that in just a short period of time?", she said hurriedly.

" Slow down, Tenten, yeah. I can't pick up anything that you're saying.", he stood up.

" The temple is gone."

" Just as I suspect it, yeah. It was a genjitsu. There wasn't really a temple there just like I told you that it didn't belong there. I think they were trying to get information out of us, yeah. They were probably the same people who followed us the day before yesterday."

" Wait,... how can it be a genjitsu? We were able to eat the food & drink the tea..."

" That may be true but it is most probably a genjitsu, yeah. I'm not an expert on that topic but all I know is that whoever we're dealing with must be a pretty good genjitsu user. So we'd better be careful, yeah.", he paused to admire the Sakura tree behind Tenten. " You sometimes remind me of Sakura trees. They have an interesting way of expressing their art with their..."

" Stop changing the subject.", Tenten interrupted.

" Right. We have to hurry. They still don't know exactly where we're going, yeah. We may have a chance of losing them if we go fast enough."

* * *

" Is that the town?", Tenten asked a day later pointing at the buildings visible just far ahead. Protruding behind the countless trees surrounding the area.

" That's the one, yeah."

A soft faint mewing began from a certain area covered by bushes.

" What is making that mewing sound? What is a cat doing out here in a forest?", Tenten walked cautiously towards the location on where the sound came from which led her to a small open area.

" Tenten, Stop! It's probably a trap, yeah.", Deidara shouted as she hesitated before turning back. The ground benath her began to crumble, sink & form a ridge. He was able to run to her & grab hold of her arm before she fell into the deep depth of the ridge. " Hold on. I'm not letting you go, yeah." She forced her other arm around his neck. Pulling harder, he wrapped his arms around her & was finally able to pull her up. He fell backwards afterwards.

" Arigato.", Tenten thanked him softly.

" Deidara senpai, who is that girl on top of you?", a figure emerged from behind the trees. He had a swirly vortex for a face with hair much similar to the hair of someone she knew. Tenten instantly knew he was an Akatsuki member since he also wore a cloak which had red clouds on it. " No... Don't tell me...", he paused for a dramatic effect. "... you seduced a girl!"

" BAKA! I didn't seduce anybody, yeah.", Deidara shouted angrily pointing a finger at Tobi who just stood there appearing innocent. " Aren't you supposed to be tied up by those pesky ninjas? Plus, how the hell did you find me, yeah?"

" Umm... After I escaped from those creepy ninjas, I was lost at first but luckily I saw your giant clay bird soaring in the sky so I decided to follow it but when you landed, I got lost again. Then now I found you & your girlfriend, Deidara senpai!  
", Tobi paused & examined Deidara's frowning face which was focused on him. " You don't look glad to see me."

" I'm very ecstatic to see you, yeah.", Deidara said sarcastically as Tenten got off him. " I've been very much delayed lately thanks to all those ANBUs, genjitsu & this girl over here. Now I know how Hidan feels, yeah." He stood up & brushed off some of the dirt on his cloak he glanced at Tobi's sad expression which only bothered him. " Well, let's go before we get any more of those annoying events that delays us."

' Am I really getting in the way & causing trouble for him?', Tenten thought sadly & sighed softly.

" Hurry up, Deidara's girlfriend.", Tobi gestured her to hurry as Deidara turned his head to give Tobi a death glare then placed on his hat.

" It's Tenten.", Tenten said monotonously & brisk walked to catch up with them.

The town looked much like any other town Tenten had visited. The crowded streets, the numerous shops lined, the smell of food in the air & the chattering noise of the people. Tobi looked around exitedly as if he never went to a town before. He stopped once in a while looking eagerly at the merchandise displayed in the shops.

" Deidara senpai, can we buy some food & some souveniers?", Tobi asked like a little child.

" No, Tobi. We need to save money in order to rent two rooms, yeah.", Deidara explained. " In fact I don't think we'll even have enough money to buy some dinner because Kakuzu limited our travel money, yeah."

' Great. I'm also causing them financial problems. I can't help but feel so useless.', Tenten thought miserably.

" Two rooms? Oh. I get it. I'm sleeping in one room & you're sleeping with Tenten in the the other room.", Tobi said & got hit really hard on his arm by Deidara. " Ouch. That hurts senpai."

" Baka! It's the other way around, yeah!", there was a slight tint of red on his cheeks.

" I'm the one sleeping with Tenten?"

" NO you idiot, we're sharing one room & she sleeps in the other, got that, yeah?", Deidara paused & noticed that Tobi fell asleep. He became very annoyed & began shaking Tobi hard. " Baka! How can you fall asleep at a time like this, yeah! Tobi! Wake up!." He shook him harder but he was still asleep. " Will someone please wake him up?"

Tenten knew he was referring to her. She rummaged her bag & pulled out some coins. " Here Tobi. Go buy some food" Eventually, Tobi woke up, thanked her, skipped merrily & disappeared into the crowd.

" You didn't have to do that, yeah.", Deidara said while they were checking in a hotel. He leaned his elbow on the front desk. Tenten didn't give a reply though. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. " Are you alright, yeah?"

" Never better."

He folded his arms after removing his hat. " There's something bothering you."

" Deidara, am I really just causing trouble for you & getting you delayed?", she asked. Just like those times when she felt as if she had been useless in team Gai which she really hated, she wished she could be able to do more than what she is capable of now.

" No not really, yeah. Well, you ARE giving us some financial problems & delays though...", Tenten was saddened by that statement. "... but you're not that bad, yeah."

" But why didn't you just leave me to die in the forest? Why did you go through all that trouble to bring me along?", Tenten started to become teary-eyed. ' Why? I feel bad enough about being 'extra weight'.'

" First of all, I really need the scroll so the Akatsuki can gain enough power to capture the other jinchuurikis, yeah. And second of all,...", he took a step closer to her. " ... I won't let you die just like that."

A smile started to form on Tenten's mouth. " From now on, I shall work hard to assist you & get stronger."

Deidara smirked. " You mean like a maid servant, yeah?" Tenten nodded to his answer. " Well, just handle Tobi for me & back me up during a fight. You don't need to do that much, yeah. Although it would be nice to have a maid servant." He thought about the posibilities.

" So, what do we do about money?", Tenten asked.

" Oh that. Actually, we have enough. I just said that so Tobi won't make me buy something for him, yeah.", he paused. " Wait a minuite! Don't change the subject."

" That's my line."

" I've noticed, yeah."


	5. Deceit

Oops. Sorry for the late update... I delay things too much. Anywho, thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate them. Hope you enjoy this chapter...

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Chapter 5 - Deceit

" Tenten, do you mind mending the rip on my cloak, yeah?", Deidara asked one afternoon about three days later. He was resting on the bed of their room in the hotel while Tobi was sleeping on the couch as usual. For the past few days, there was nothing left to do but wait for the so-called ' friend' who was never really mentioned in any of their conversations except for the complaints about him being late.

" Whatever happened to ' you don't need to do that much'? Lately, you've been ordering me around like a servant.", Tenten folded her arms & frowned.

" Sorry, Tenten, yeah.", he sat up. " It's just so nice having someone to order around besides Tobi. But can you just do this last favor for me? I've been meaning to have the rip fixed but it's just so hard to find someone to mend it for you especially when you're an S-rank criminal, yeah." He pouted. " Please fix it."

" Oh, alright.", Tenten sighed & received the cloak from him. She pulled out a pocket sewing kit from her bag & started mending the cloak. ' _How long will this have to go on? And where the hell is that so-called friend of his? '_

" Deidara Senpai, how long is he gonna make us wait?", Tobi asked when he woke up.

" You're right Tobi, yeah.", Deidara sat up. " We've been waiting for three days & there's still no sign of him. We were to meet him here two days ago and he still didn't show up, yeah."

" Maybe he forgot? Or he had something more important to do?"

" He never forgets & I don't think he's all that busy right now, yeah."

" He isn't? But I thought --"

" Tobi, don't you remember Leader-sama saying that he could have a break for a while since he went through all that trouble to steal those list of things Leader-sama ordered him to steal, yeah? Tobi, are staring at me in astonishment or are you sleeping?", he soon realized Tobi had fallen asleep again. He threw a pillow at him to wake him up. " Tobi you baka! Fall asleep again & I'll use my jitsu to blow you up into little pieces, yeah!"

" Sorry Deidara Senpai."

" Tch. We're leaving after she finishes with the mending, yeah."

" Where?"

" To the Hideout, yeah."

" I can see it!", Tobi squnted his eyes & exclaimed when they neared the hideout. It wasn't really obvious & it was hidden underground in a cave but Tobi did remember that giant oak tree which he climbs when there was nothing to do. They had been climbing the mountain for a reasonable amount of time so Tenten was glad they were finally there since her feet were already sore & her clothes all dirty from the climb.

" Err... where's the entrance?", Tenten asked.

" Right over there," Tobi answered & pointed to a small entrance just ahead.

They made their way towards the entrance & went inside the dark damp cave. " This way, yeah.", Deidara gestured her to follow him through a door which was nearly camouflaged by the limestones. Inside was a long dim hallway with numerous doors lined at least two meters away from each other.

They finally stopped near a door & opened it. Inside was even dimmer than the hallway. It was as if these people like living in a world of darkness and are rediculously evil. The room was nearly empty exept for a dark shadowy figure seated on a chair giving them cold stares. It was hard to identify his facial features since the darkness gave them no chance of seeing his appearance.

" Good, you have brought it.", the dark figure said. " But why did you bring along the girl with you? I only asked for the scroll. You know we can't have anyone knowing our secret location."

" Sorry, Leader-sama, yeah."

The Akatsuki leader stood up and walked towards Tenten who was paralized with fear. He removed her backpack easily, removed the scroll from inside then threw the bag to Deidara. " Tobi, lock her up while we decide on what to do with her.", he gave an order.

Tobi led Tenten out of the room and into another which was like a prison. Each cell was practically empty except for one beside the cell she was to be locked in. ' How did I end up in this mess?', Tenten thought while Tobi did his best to lock the cell securely.

" I'm sorry you thought you could trust him.", Tobi said before leaving the room.

Tenten gave a deep sigh. " How could I be so stupid to trust an S-rank criminal?", she said aloud to herself forgetting that there was someone listening to her in the other cell. ' _I'm so stupid! Why didn't I just run away when I had the chance to? Ugh. I'm really starting to hate myself_.'

" What made you end up here in this stuffy room?", the person in the other cell asked.

" My thoughtless actions.", Tenten answered numbly and reclined against the wall.

" What about them?"

" I tried to do things myself after my friend got abducted then ran into the wrong person & wasted time in some town then got locked up here."

" Was your friend abducted by ninjas?"

" How did you know?"

" Sorry Tenten. Those ninjas were associated with the Akatsuki."

" You mean... everything was all a lie?"

" Huh? What lie?"

" Nevermind. Getting out of this dump is our first priority."

The Akatsuki leader pondered on the idea Deidara gave. " Hmm. A maid servant, huh? Not a bad idea. We need someone to do the chores and serve me around here anyway since you bastards are too vain and lazy to do them.", he paused. " Very well, go get her something clean to wear. Oh yeah, and you can have the stuff inside the bag. I have no use for them anyway."

" Arigato, yeah." Deidara said then left the room.

" Something clean... where can I find something clean, yeah?", he said to himself as he leaned against the wall. He eyed the bag and rummaged it. He felt something soft and slightly sticky inside so he pulled out the mysterious object. A smile formed on his face when he realized it was clay bird he gave Tenten. He remembered that day.

_" Ok, then. What can I do to brighten your day, yeah?"_

_" I dunno. Anything, I guess."_

_Deidara stopped walking & rummaged though his bag making Tenten wonder what he was going to pull out. He pulled out a tiny clay bird. " You like birds, yeah?", he asked holding the bird closer to her making her smile but only a bit._

_" This doesn't explode, does it?", she asked as he transferred the bird to her hand._

_" I can make it explode right now if you need proof, yeah."_

" Senpai? Are you sick or something? You rarely smile in my presence.", Tobi waved his hand in front of Deidara's face.

" I'm ok, Tobi, yeah.", he gave Tobi a cold stare then rested his gaze back on the clay bird.

" Who are you thinking of?", Tobi smirked.

" I'm not thinking of anybody, yeah.", Deidara frowned & looked the other way.

" You sure are holding on to that clay bird pretty tightly."

" Don't you have somewhere else to be, yeah?", he said in an annoyed tone.

" I'm supposed to help you with stuff. Well, that's what Leader-sama ordered me to do."

" Alright, help me find something clean and wearable, yeah.", Deidara returned the clay bird inside the bag and continued looking for any clean clothes Tenten might have. He now found the first aid kit he had borrowed once before. His face started to turn red as he remembered what had happened.

_" I came here to see if you didn't run away & to ask you if I could borrow your first aid kit, yeah.", Deidara's face also turned red & quickly turned around folding his arms. " I didn't expect to see you...ugh...this way, yeah."_

" Senpai? Why is your face all red?"

" Tobi! Stop asking me questions, yeah!", he closed the bag. " Come on, let's go."

" To where?"

" To the prison cells, yeah."

" Oh. I see. You just can't let her go now can you?"

" Don't say a word about this, yeah."

The door of Tenten's cell started to open. She frowned at the first sight of Deidara. " What do you want?", she asked coldly.

" Do you have anything clean you can wear, yeah?", Deidara asked refusing to show any emotion.

" Just my nightgown. Why?"

" You're our new maid servant now.", Tobi answered for his Senpai.


End file.
